Isaiah 11:1-9

The Right Tools For The Job

Recently my sister asked me if I would mind replacing the faucet in her kitchen. I agreed and showed up at her house the next Saturday with some of the appropriate tools in my beat up old tool box. As I worked, her young son did his best to give me a hand. He even brought some of his own tools! He crawled under the sink with me and as I disconnected the old faucet (which consequently is the hardest part of installing a faucet) he was busy tapping away at the drain pipe with a plastic hammer and trying to twist some parts on it with his plastic pair of pliers. At one point he even brought out his little hand saw to try and cut through it; all while explaining to me how we had to get it fixed and how hard it was but we had to do it. “Its broken but I can fix it, we can fix it uncle Jake” he would say.

After all the work was done and I was cleaning up I noticed how he eyed my tools with envy. He liked his tools but he wanted the real thing. I would have loved to indulge him too but unfortunately everything he wanted would have caused considerable damage either to him or to my sisters house. Later as my mind was wandering around the events of my day I had the funniest thought. What if I had shown up to fix the faucet and all I had in my box were plastic toy tools? What a great plumber I would be! Even if I knew how to use them really well they just wouldn’t hold up. Maybe I could get the plastic pliers to loosen a fitting but I probably would have broken them in the process.

Following my thought it occurred to me that there are a lot of people out there who actually do that sort of thing all the time; even professionally. They approach all of life with a set of tools that aren’t even real. tools like “believing in your self,” “believing in the power of (what they call) love,” “positive thinking” or even things like ignoring a problem hoping it will go away or telling some one off rudely because your right and everyone knows it. Everyday countless numbers of pagans run around thinking they have very practical solutions for the problems of their lives all based on the latest fads of pop psychology or some dramatic sentiment they learned from a sitcom or reality show. But the Christian should know how such tools are of no more use or purpose then a child’s toy. They are just cheap imitations of the real thing. Nothing can replace the real power of God’s love to heal a broken heart or the fear of the Lord which, proverbs 14:26 says, produces strong confidence.

Our tool box has been the same for the last 2000 years and longer. We have always had in hand those truths which God has revealed to us which, if we actively trust in and are willing to use, may move mountains. But it seems like anymore we are right in there with the rest of the pagans using the same plastic toy’s. Still, even if we aren’t I think many times we might be something like a small child trying to use real tools which we do in fact have but don’t know how to use. And if we are, as sad as that may be, it is better I think than if we were to use a counterfeit. For just like my young nephew had his uncle to explain what all the tools were for and how to use them, so too we have Gods spirit to grow us up in knowledge and give us strength to do those good works he has prepared for us to do before hand.

My question to you is: are you using the tool box God has given you? Are you using His Word? Or are you using carnal tools given to us by foolish men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness? Have you even looked in your tool box lately? If not the best time to check yourself is always now.

Hey man, you have a very deep and reflective mind to get that from my son trying to sneak off with your tools when you weren't looking! =) No really, I find that God teaches me so much thru parenting Isaak – its a new perspecitve to see how he learns, and how like my youngin Christians are. I am not a perfect parent, but if my love for him is only a glimpse of what God's great love for us is, it is a mighty thing indeed. Thanks for the thoughts to dwell on. =)